Piping Press

By Elizabeth Anne Muckle, Calgary The offering of a one hour weekly beginner bagpipe instruction course at our prestigious Conservatory of Music at Mount Royal University, Calgary, has raised a number of concerns about instructional approaches to assisting trusting enthusiasts as they begin mastering the essentials of a complex skill.  The group session, offered in the Fall 2019 from Sept. 10 to Oct. 29 will be continued in the winter…

The Piobaireachd Society Gold Medal (Canada) and Bar to the Medal contests for 2019 are be held on Friday, August 2nd and thanks to sponsorship from the Clan Donald Lands Trust will have a first prize of £1,800 ($3,000CDN). This represents a considerable upgrade in the contest which was started by back in the 1970s by Archie Cairns with the assistance of Captain John MacLellan representing the Piobaireachd Society. Adjudicator…

A dry and fairly warm day in Perthshire. The picture shows Bobby Allan Thomas Young and Christopher Apps. 21 & Under MSR1 Bobby Allen2 Thomas Young3 Christopher Apps 21 & Under Jig1 Bobby Allen2 Thomas Young3 Christopher Apps4 Lexie McDiarmid 14 & Under 2 Part March1 Annabel Charlton2 Brodie Barrie3 Wallace Mackie4 Cameron Stewart 16 & Under 4 Part March1 Christopher Apps2 Bobby Allen3 Thomas Young4 Annabel Charlton

Thanks to the many thousands of readers we had for our reports on the European Pipe Band Championships. It is clear from what both MacStig and I wrote, and from the responses received, that there needs to be an audience dimension added to major pipe band championship planning. Would the RSPBA consider giving one of their directors the responsibility of checking out facilities for listeners? An ‘audience czar’ would surely…

Further to my ‘Sheepwife’ story and Pipe Major Mick Haggerty, I wish to let you know that since his passing in 1974 the grave site of P/M Haggerty at Sandgate Cemetery (near Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia) has been unmarked. Two months ago (Saturday, 8th May) Graham Adams, Paul Ross, Ron Lightfoot and I placed a cross on Mick’s grave to help perpetuate the memory of such an influential piper….